Archive of Our Own

Derek had it all, he was the star of basketball, good grades, good looks, and could have any girl he wanted. Or that's what his classmates told him often. 

Derek wasn't oblivious, he knew most of that was true but… well, he believed in love .

He was raised in a house full of love and respect. His grandfather had died holding his wife's hand. His mom had made her love story into a bedtime tale that was Derek's favorite. His dad used to say that it was just how it happend, word by word. 

Laura, Cora and him were so fucked. After starting highschool he realized the standards they had were so unrealistic it was a huge disappointment. People wanted to get close to him only because of his looks, and the only girl that he liked didn't like him back. Besides that Derek was a normal 17 year old highschool boy, without any life altering crisis, he was happy and chill, everything was good. His summer vacation consisted of as many family' adventures as they were capable of, Laura started college and he was back to start his senior year at school. 

His sisters and him talked about the subject and agreed that true love was going to be hard to find. So he really wasn't expecting it when it happened.

--

He was showing Cora around, his baby sister started highschool, and he made a show of glaring at every boy that stared too much at her when out of nowhere a mass of limbs and swear words crashed into him. The boy was a little shorter than Derek, buzzcut hair, white skin scattered with moles and brown doe eyes.

 "I am so sorry, please don't kill me." The boy looked embarrassed and a bit terrified. Maybe that's why Derek felt that thump in his chest and words became a mystery his brain could not solve. Stunned and lost, his sister was the one to react.

"Too early to get into trouble, don't you think Stilinski?" She sighed annoyed.

"It's been a rough morning. Where the hell is biology class?" He looked so worried that Derek felt the need to help.

"Behind you." He managed to mumble.

The boy's face turned red, his brown eyes widening in surprise. He turned to leave in a hurry but then stopped and turned enough to look at Derek straight to his eyes. "Thank you." He said and then he was gone.

Derek's whole body was acting weird. 

"And that was Stiles Stilinski. The class' troublemaker." Cora huffed. But Derek was still hung up on those round golden eyes.

"Are you ok?" She stared at him with a worried expression.

Was Derek ok? No. Was he going to admit that to his little sis? Never.

“I´ve got to go to class. See you at lunch.” He gave her a short hug, which of course she complained about but it didn't matter. Cora was only 16, she was Derek's little sister and would always be. 

--

The first few weeks of school were quite uneventful or so it seemed from the outside. Derek Hale was conflicted, confused, and a little scared. He found himself intrigued by the Stilinski boy. And late at night when sleep evaded him, he wondered why. Wasn´t he attracted to girls? He had kissed one at a party once and had felt nice. But now he wondered what it would feel like to kiss Stiles' soft looking lips. His dreams were full of Stiles' face, his blushed cheeks making him wake up hard and needy.

One morning Derek decided to stop overthinking things and went to school with a new purpose, to which he failed miserably. 

Derek couldn't find an excuse to approach the boy and only had brief glimpses of Stilinski around the cafeteria, however it became very easy to engrave in his mind the pattern of moles that marked the boy's white skin. The way he laughed with his whole body. The fact that he always was around the same boy and hardly paid attention to anything around him. Stilinski seemed to live in a bubble , he didn't care about what other people were doing, he just acted, and if he hitted someone at passing, because he was hand gesturing like crazy, then he genuinely apologized, with adorable rosy cheeks, before continuing whatever he was saying. 

"You seem distracted." He felt his dad's hand on his shoulder.

Derek was helping him with the dishes after dinner. "I just… there's something on my mind."

"Sometimes talking about our problems with others gives us the perspective we need."

Derek took a deep breath, his dad was right, he needed to talk about it with someone.

Once they finished cleaning the kitchen, he went to his mom's office. Talia was a busy lawyer but she always made time for her kids. Derek hesitated at the door, what was he supposed to say? He didn't even meet the boy, not really. Was this worth the time? Was this a crisis or-

"Are you gonna come in anytime soon?" He sighed and stepped inside the office where his mom was going through a stack of papers. "You can help me find a folder I…" she took one look at his son and pushed the papers away. "Come here my baby boy." She opened her arms. 

Derek walked around the wooden desk "I'm not a baby anymore. I'm going to college next summer."

"You will always be my baby." She smiled when Derek accepted her hug. "Tell me what happened."

Derek enjoyed the warmth of his mom's embrace for a moment, before pulling away. Putting his confused thoughts into words was always a challenge but his mom listened in respectful silence.

"...and I know it's silly, I hardly see him around, let alone talk to the boy but it feels…" he sighed, tired.

"Like you need to get closer?"  Talia waited but Derek just nodded, looking at his feet, feeling embarrassed.  "Sounds to me the best course of action is to find a way to become friends and go from there." She stated while standing. "When you talk about him your face lights up." Placing a hand under his chin she forced Derek's blushing face to look up. "Don't be ashamed of your feelings of love. Never." Talia smiled tenderly and Derek felt something inside him settle.

"Thank you mom."

–

The basketball tryouts came along and Derek was doing something important, he knew that, but after seeing Stilinski enter the gym he couldn't do anything but to stare . It was the first time they were in the same place with so few people, and Derek was close enough to listen to his voice. The boy had a snarky comment for almost everything, he was funny, witty and a little uncoordinated. Derek wanted to get closer, to show him how to hold the ball before making a shot, to explain the importance of balance and intent. To touch-

“Hale! Stop glaring at the new guys. You are making them nervous.” Coach scolded him. Suddenly Derek remembered what he looked like, according to his sisters, a grumpy and scary boy. That's why he hurried to shut down his instincts and focused on not looking. And that's when the ball hit his head.

--

Derek woke up in the nurse's office. His head hurt a bit but that didn't matter, Stilinski was there with him. Realizing that Derek had passed out in front of him had his ears burning with shame and didn't dare to look at him.

“I'm so sorry.” 

Derek frowned, why would he be sorry? Unless… “You knocked me out?” He guessed looking up and Stilinski flushed, face completely red.

“I'm usually a lot less dangerous for other people.” He whispered. And Derek laughed a bit, because he didn't even care about the accident. He was speaking to this boy who had been hunting his every thought during the last month. “I don't even want to be in the team, I just signed up to help Scott, my best friend. He is really obsessed with this girl and wants to impress her. I completely understand and support him but sports aren't my thing. Coordination is not my thing. Anyways I don't really know how it happened but one moment I had the ball and the next thing I knew it was landing on your face. I'm really, really, really sorry.” 

He had a nice voice. “It 's ok.” Derek assured him, this wouldn't be his first sports injury, nor the last. Stilinski relaxed his shoulders and sighed. He did that, he used his whole body to speak, laugh and communicate, and Derek needed this moment to never end. “So, you don't like basketball at all?”

The boy thought about it for a moment. “I guess I do enjoy watching it?” He shrugged. That was good enough for Derek.

“So, what do you like, then?” The boy seemed surprised by the question but then started to list a bunch of things, videogames Derek never heard of, artists and Korean bands Cora might have mentioned, and movies… so many movies.

“I have ADHD so sometimes I can lose myself in weird, off topic research, which someday can come in handy… or at least I hope so.” At that statement he seemed a bit embarrassed. “I'm sorry I talk too much.”

“I don't mind.” He wasn't sure that was the right thing to say but he didn't want Stilinski to stop, and the boy blinked surprised again. “What's your name?” Derek already knew, but he needed to keep the conversation going. Was he being too eager? too obvious? He wanted to get to know him better. Maybe if they became friends like his mom suggested, then Derek would stop feeling so weird.

“Stiles… Stiles Stilinski.” The boy looked a little sheepish and Derek's heart hurt a bit. 

“Stiles?” He was intrigued, but they were interrupted by the nurse. 

“Mr. Hale, quite the scare you gave us.” The nurse looked at him from head to toe, but it felt off. Derek knew that look. “How are you feeling?” Derek never saw the woman before, she was young and smiled way too sweetly. Stiles also seemed to feel uncomfortable when she placed a hand on Derek´s bicep. “It seems you are strong enough to discharge you, but I'll check some things first. “ She turned to Stiles. “You can go now.”

Maybe it was the panic on Derek's face, but he stayed. “It was my fault, the least I can do is be here.”

The smile on her face faltered but she just proceeded to take a pen and make some notes after flashing a light on Derek's eyes and asking some questions.

Once outside the nurse's office Derek thanked Stiles for staying.

“I just didn't like the way she touched you. “ He shrugged. “I've been called paranoid before.” 

Derek smiled. Stiles felt it too. He was so happy to be out, and if he never had to go back, he would be very very happy.

“So, what are you-”

“Bro!” The boy that was always around Stiles showed up. “I'm in!!!!” He said excitedly, almost a little too out of breath.

“Scott, breathe. Do you have your inhaler?” Stiles started to pat his friend's backpack, took something from it and gave it to the boy Scott.

They kept chatting, Scott happy and breathing better, Stiles still looking worried but also happy. Derek didn't feel like he could engage there. He wasn't very good with people he wasn't acquainted with. So he just kept looking at Stiles, the way his mouth twitched, the color of his eyes, the moles that form a pattern on his skin. He should leave… he should change and leave and so he did.

The tryouts were over. The guys in the locker room made some jokes about him being knocked out but Derek let it pass.

Stiles… that was an unusual name, a mystery Derek wanted to solve so badly.

That night he played in his head the conversation, over and over, practicing what he could say next time and enjoying the new information he gathered. Stiles was a good friend, he had ADHD and liked so many things Derek knew nothing about.

I want to be his friend. I want to learn more .

--

Next morning Cora woke him up with a tiktok. It was him being hit by the basketball ball right in the head with a funny song he heard around school.

"Funny." Was all he said and Cora looked shocked.

"It's all over the internet!"

"What are you nagging your brother about?" Aunt Felicia ruffled Cora's hair fondly.

"Not nagging. I'm worried he suffered brain damage yesterday." She showed the rest of the family the video.

"Why didn't you say something last night?" His dad was checking him immediately. The perks of having a doctor in the family.

"I'm fine, it wasn't that bad."

"You passed out and the comments say you didn't come back to training." Uncle Peter was checking the video over Cora’s shoulder.

"I was at the nurse's office and it wasn't training." Peter raised an eyebrow. "Trayouts." He shrugged.

"Any nausea or headache?" His dad asked.

"Nothing. I woke up and stayed in bed till the nurse came back and checked on me."

"Alone? You could have been out for a long time." His mother looked concerned.

"No… umh. Someone was with me." He could feel his face hit up. Thinking about Stiles in front of his family made him anxious. Would they like Stiles? Would Stiles think his family was weird? Derek had heard the gossip around the Hales. People respected his parents but were also intrigued about all of them living together in the preserve. 

"Oh?" His grandmother elbowed him.

"Who is she?" Peter smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Cora inquired while Derek kept blushing. He wasn't good at hiding his feelings, at least not from his family. He looked at his mom with pleading eyes.

"Peter, mother, if Derek wanted to share something he would." His mom warned them. 

He ate the last of his breakfast, and said goodbye to everyone, kissing his mom's cheek in silent gratitude.

Cora was running late behind him. "Uncle Peter thinks you like someone." Derek drove in silence to school. It wasn't unusual. He wasn't very chatty. Meanwhile Cora told him how his rep could fall a bit after the incident. Then Laura called, apparently she had seen the video and was cackling like a mad woman. Cora told her about their morning family breakfast and Laura was amused. 

"Grandma and Peter must have seen something you didn't Cora." She was on speakers. "Derbear who kept you company at the nurse's office?" Laura was very perspective. Luckily for him they were already in the parking lot. "Goodbye Laura!" He said before stepping out of the car.

The only thing in his mind was how to make Stiles talk to him today. Although that was a problem he didn't dwell on it for too long seeing how he closed his locker and there he was.

Stiles .

"Are you mad? Of course you are, that was something stupid to ask. I didn't know the tryouts were being recorded, and even then, how was I supposed to guess someone was going to edit it and post the thing on tiktok???" Stiles was speaking with all his body hand gesturing frenetic without minding they were in the hall and people were staring. Derek realized suddenly he was in Stiles' bubble . Having all of Stiles' attention just for him was making him feel lightheaded. Happy? Excited? His heart was jumping inside his ribcage. And he couldn't help the way his mouth curled up in a small smile.

Stiles stopped mid sentence, eyes going wider, cheeks blushing. "You just planned my murder, didn't you?" 

Derek shook his head and laughed. "You are weird." Stiles bit his lower lip, and dipped his head down. Shit, that was not what he was supposed to say. "I mean, I am not angry."

The boy looked up to eyed him suspiciously "You are not?"

"No. Accidents happen." He shrugged.

Derek walked Stiles into his classroom door. He noticed Cora watching them from inside but ignored her in order to record in his memory every bit of Stiles .

Stiles was still apologizing when the bell rang.

"See you at lunch." Derek said and before the boy could say no, he left. The morning was just as any other, except Derek felt he could see more colors. The romantic prose they studied at lit finally made sense. His friend Boyd noticed the change and smiled without asking much.

By lunch Derek was itching under his skin, that was until he saw Stiles, then everything became quieter, calmer. He took a deep breath, walked to Stiles' table and sat down in front of him.

"Hey." Stiles greeted, looking surprised. 

"Hi, I'm Scott McCall." the other boy said, looking a bit shy.

"Derek Hale." He nodded and proceeded to eat.

Again he wasn't a chatty person. He was counting on Stiles to fill in the silence, and the boy did not disappoint. By the time the bell rang Scott and Stiles were arguing about a movie.

"My mom is still mad about…You know." He glanced towards Derek, nervously, "she won't let me come."

"Dude! We've been waiting forever to go see the premier. It has to be this weekend."

Derek wasn't sure if Stiles would ever see him like Derek started to wish, so he was going to take every opportunity to spend time with the boy.

"Friday at 7pm, right ?" He casually asked.

Stiles turned quickly to stare at Derek, his open mouth gaping for a moment and it amazed Derek how much he wanted to taste those plump lips.

"Do you like Star Wars?" Stiles' voice came out a little strangled.

Derek shrugged, already planning on researching the franchise. He had never seen it, but that had to change because Stiles was obviously very passionate about it.

He took Scott by the shoulders and guided him towards their lockers. "Practice time." He grunted.

Luckily once at home he found all the books and movies in her aunt's library. Isabella Hale was the middle sister, married to Jeremy Evans and mother of four years old Sam and twelve years old Alex. She used to work as an accountant but had to stop due to her last pregnancy having complications. She was also Derek's favorite aunt to geek out about fantasy novels. He hadn't shared his love for books with anyone at school because he wasn't really close to anyone but Boyd, and he was more artistically inclined. Noone painted cool, fantastic landscapes like his friend. 

Anyways, after asking aunt Isa for permission to watch the saga she turned it into a family movie night. Talia sent them to bed after the second movie and Derek decided he liked Star wars, it was like Harry Potter but in space.

-.-

Next few days he wasn't lucky enough to meet Stiles until lunch and there he had to share the bubble with Scott, but it was nice to be able to look and soak up everything Stiles .

By Friday he was vibrating under his skin again. Coach Finstock had complained about him being too annoying with his uncharacteristic smile, they were doing laps and his teammates were about to collapse but he had too much anxious energy to burn. If he played this well maybe he could be friends with Stiles outside school. Maybe ask for his number.

"Stop smiling, it's freaking me out." Coach complained again.

Derek tried to look less happy. 

-.-

His family watched the saga with him during the week and planned to go to the movies to see the new one on Saturday.

-.-

Friday 6.30 pm he was standing at the movies waiting for the other two boys. A few minutes later Stiles showed up looking a little down, until he saw Derek. The way his eyes lit up and a smile drew on his face made the whole world fade from view.

"You made it!" Derek was speechless, he could only nod. "I might have underestimated Melissa. Scott is still grounded and I thought I'll have to watch the movie alone…" 

One of the things Derek admired of Stiles was his ability to carry a conversation by himself, while Derek could only nod or roll his eyes during group meetings Stiles had no problem speaking out his thoughts.

Derek managed to pay for the food while Stiles got distracted, still a little sad to be there without Scott, and they entered the movies with plenty of time to choose the perfect spot.

"It's important to be comfortable." Stiles explained while showing Derek his seat. "Right here you can watch without your neck hurting.”

The problem came once the lights went off and suddenly Derek became even more aware of Stiles. The warmth radiating from the boy, the movements of his hands that carried the popcorn to their final destiny, the constant  bouncing of his legs. Derek wished he could see in the dark just to be able to look at Stiles to his heart's content.

The movie was good, and Derek was happy to have Stiles all to himself talking about every little detail he liked and disliked. It was easy to invite him to dinner and during one of Derek's bravest moments he asked about Stiles' dad.

"He's on the night shift this week, I really worry about his health, it's not easy…," there was something in his voice, a sadness in his eyes that troubled Derek. "Anyways, I'm honestly surprised you haven't asked me to shut up yet. I'm so annoying -"

"No, you are not." Derek knew a diversion when he heard one, Laura had been president of the debate team. He also understood there were things Stiles wouldn't share with someone he was just getting to know, but Derek was going to make sure the boy knew how much he enjoyed his company by the end of tonight, one way or another.

Stiles blinked surprised. "Dude, yes I am. Everybody says so."

"Don't call me dude and I like to hear you talk." It was a good thing Derek decided to maintain eye contact, otherwise he would have missed the subtle change in the color of Stiles' cheeks. It was mesmerizing how pretty Stiles was. His rosy cheeks turned completely red and it made things to Derek that he didn't know how to describe.

"You're so gonna regret saying that." The boy shook his head, a little smile tugging at his lips. "I love this place. We used to come here a lot when I was little. The curly fries are my absolute favorite." Stiles talked animatedly the rest of their evening, growing more confident, keeping eye contact, gesticulating wildly.

Derek's chest hurt from laughing at his adventures, and his quick reflexes prevented Stiles from spilling his drink a couple of times.

After dessert he walked Stiles to his car, an old, baby blue jeep that seemed to run by pure willpower. "It's… it looks tough." He commented and seemed to be good enough for Stiles.

"It was my mom's." There it was again, a lingering sadness that Derek wanted to make better but knew it was an impossible mission. "Thanks for coming."

Derek shook his head. "I really enjoy spending time with you." Too straightforward ? Probably, but Stiles seemed reluctant to believe him. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not good at small talk and it takes time for me to feel comfortable around people. I admire that you don't. You're smart, funny and I really…" Derek took a deep breath. "I like you. Stiles." 

There. Straight to the point. No more trying to Deny his feelings. 

Stiles was still a little shocked at Derek's confession, but gave him a small smile all the same.

"I like you too, and of course I want to be your friend." Friend. The word echoed in Derek's head. "I think you're really cool and I don't mind that you don't talk much, your eyebrows are quite expressive." Friend. "I mean, I.. I think I'm capable of deciphering their language-" Friend . "Shit, I shouldn't keep talking, you just said you like me and I go and say something weird and-" Stiles was gesticulating wildly, his amber eyes wide open, he looked really worried to ruin their…. Friendship .

"Friend." Derek nodded slowly. Yes, that was the plan, to be friends not to confess his crush on their first date. Wait… has this been a date? "My family can read my mood with just one look. I never thought it was because of my eyebrows."

Stiles relaxed visibly and laughed. "I should go now, before… yeah."

Derek gave him one last look before the boy jumped in the jeep and drove away.

" Friends ." It was better than nothing right?

-.-

Derek squinted his eyes against assaulting morning light.

"It seems someone didn't sleep well last night." Uncle Peter commented during breakfast.

Indeed, Derek hadn't been able to fall asleep, too busy processing the pain of his heartbreak. Luckily, the reality of it all hit him once he was home. As soon as he heard his dad downstairs he jumped outta bed. It was only his parents, grandma uncle Peter and his wife this early in the morning.

Grandma Ina patted his shoulder. "Would you like me to cook your favorite today?" Derek rested his face on the crook of his elbow, needing to hide while trying to keep his emotions under control.

"That bad, huh?" This time uncle Peter's voice had no mockery in it. 

"Her lose then." Aunt Felicia sounded so certain it made him laugh despite his misery. He lifted his face up, with watery eyes and without missing a beat "His." He corrected her.

It took them a few seconds and then Peter was trying not to smile. Felicia shouldered him "Oh, honey. Boys your age are quite dum."

"Not him though, he is very smart." Derek felt very protective of Stiles and he couldn't help to defend him. He blinked the tears away.

"What Felicia means, is that maybe he is not ready to see how perfect you are just yet." His mom added with a tender voice.

After that the conversation veered to other subjects. His family really knew how to read him and made him feel better by just being there.

Grandma cooked his favorite meal and each bite felt like a caress.

-.-

His family went to the movies Saturday afternoon and he decided to go see Boyd. He went straight to the garage' door where he knew he would find his friend. As always Boyd had his earphones on, too concentrated on the canvas in front of him to notice Derek. The place was quite organized and clean except for the far corner that his friend had claimed since they were 12. Boyd had always enjoyed art and drawing, but it wasn't until highschool that he started painting.

Derek sat down on the floor and took the time to appreciate his friend's last piece. It wasn't a landscape but a portrait. That was different, Boyd always said he didn't feel comfortable painting people. The theme was easy, black background that made the blonde curls pop, soft rosy cheeks, brown eyes and a sweet crooked smile. However, there was a mischievous glint in her eyes, a warning of something wild in the curl of her lips showing teeth. Boyd knew how to bring his painting to life.

"What do you think?" 

"She 's beautiful." 

"Yeah, she is." Suddenly Derek knew why Boyd decided to paint a portrait.

"What would you think if we went to the movies together, just the two of us as friends, but then I invited you to dinner and at the end of the evening I said 'I really like you'? What would you answer?”

Boyd rolled his eyes, "I'll think you are a romantic, feel flattered and kindly reject you. I'm currently interested in someone else. " He gazed at the portrait.

Derek sighed. "Yeah, too straightforward. No room for misinterpretation." Boyd raised an eyebrow at him. "I was rejected yesterday."

His friend looked confused. "You said you were going to the movies with Stilinski and McCall.

“Yeah, McCall didn't make it.” he shrugged.

There was a long silence where Derek just let Boyd process. "Oh."

"Yeah." 

More silence.

"Want to go get ice cream?" His friend offered.

Derek couldn't talk around the knot on his throat, so he nodded.

-.-

"Friends?" Derek nodded again, it had taken him . "That sucks man." 

He shrugged, still unable to speak. His family was gonna be out of the movies soon but Derek didn't feel like joining them. "I'll order to go and maybe after drowning in ice cream I'll feel better."

Boyd didn't point out that it was a mission doom to fail but that was ok with Derek. He felt better just by sharing his space with his friend.

"For the record, " Boyd said once they were out of the shop. "Being your friend is awesome. Stiles would be even more of an idiot if he didn't try to be your friend."

Derek smiled a little. "Thanks, Boyd."

"I really like you too." His friend teased.

"Shut up." Derek could feel his ears turning red.

"You better take me to the movies next weekend." Boyd joked.

Derek groaned, covering his face with his free hand. "I hate you."

-.-

Monday morning sucked so hard, the worst part was having to endure classes with little to no sleep. On the brighter side, people moved away from his way like the parting of the red sea. Apparently heartbroken Derek looked like don't talk to me or I'll reap your throat out with my teeth Derek, and he couldn't be bothered to correct it.

The decisive moment came at lunch. Derek stepped one foot inside the cafeteria and the place fell silent, all eyes on him. Honestly, he should be worried about how much influence he possessed in school but he was too busy searching for amber eyes and constellations disguised as moles in white skin. When he didn't find any, his disappointment helped him realize he wanted to see Stiles, even after the rejection. He wanted to be friends. 

Boyd sat down next to him and people went on talking and eating again. Stiles and Scott came a few seconds later hesitation writing all over them, until Stiles saw Derek's expression and something must have transpired cuz he relaxed and pushed Scott to their table.

"Hey, Derek. So, funny thing, people at school are gossiping about you again. Nothing new, just that you were ready to fight off anyone that bothered you today so I thought it'll be better if I-"

"We. We didn't bother you today." Scott elbowed his friend. "You told me he is smart enough to appreciate how awesome you are, stop doubting yourself."

It seemed Derek wasn't the only one that tried to stop Stiles and his self deprecation discourse. Derek could feel himself nodding in approval and Boyd signed them to seat.

Lunch was short, or that's how it felt. Stiles talked about the movie and his weekend with his dad. Scott smiled happily announcing he was not grounded anymore and Stiles did a little celebratory dance that had Derek smiling fondly and Boyd bumping their shoulders knowingly.

Friends . He could do this.

-.-

He could not do this. 

The last few weeks had been good with Stiles coming to their training to cheer them on, lunch together everyday and a group chat to text on weekends and off school.

Until the end of october when this petite redheaded girl came to their table with a halloween party invitation. Stiles blushed and bit his own tongue. Scott was too stunned to talk and Boyd just nodded thanks.

Derek frowned because she stood next to him ignoring everybody else there with a confidence that bordered on rudeness and was very clear about who was invited and who wasn't.

Once she was gone Stiles stumbled with his words to explain Lydia Martin was a goddess between mortales. Listening to Stiles wax poetry about Lydia Martin was pure torture.

Thankfully Boyd guided the conversation to the safest topics.

-.-

He was broody whenever he remembered how smitten Stiles was about Lydia Martin, it bothered him even more that she completely ignored Stiles. How could she ignore him? Stiles was… he was… ugh. He was fucking amazing, loud, funny, witty, and so damn cute.

The night of the party he went to Stiles house to order pizza and play videogames.

"Duuuuuuude, can't believe you are here instead of going to Lydia's." Stiles whined again. He was sprawled on the couch.

Derek was sitting on the floor, his head resting close to one of Stiles thighs. "You are here " he shrugged.

Spending time with Stiles was a thousand times better than attending a party with people he didn't care about.

*.*

Derek fell asleep, his head resting against the couch and Stiles had been staring at him for way too long, it bordered on creepy. How was Derek Hale even real?

He always suspected Lydia Martin was some sort of supernatural creature but now he was sure magic and gods were real because Derek Hale wasn't human either. 

And magic had to be the only explanation since this demigod seemed to like Stiles' company. The thing was, Derek was smart, funny, kind and so sweet despite his lack of social skills, all that inside the most gorgeous body and yet he decided not to attend one of the best parties of the year to play videogames and eat pizza with Stiles. 

There was no logic there.

Worst of all was how Derek made Stiles feel. Because he had been friends with Scott for ever and he never questioned how it would feel to cradle his fingers through his hair. Slowly, Stiles sat down next to him on the floor. Taking in his relaxed face, the faint smile he was sporting. God he was perfect.

Suddenly Derek shuffled towards him and they fell to the floor. Stiles back landing over the rug with Derek nuzzling into his chest.

Oh, he was so confused. Part of him knew this was not normal but another part of him kept pushing it down, trying not to think too much about it and to enjoy the moment.

After several minutes he dared to put his fingers into Derek's hair, earning a soft moan that made Stiles’ skin tingle. Derek circled his sleep form around Stiles body making him open his legs to nestle him in. Stiles enjoyed the weight of his body, the softness of his hair, the even breathing and decided to sleep too.

He was awoken by his dad. Who pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. Eventually Derek woke up and smiled warmly at Stiles as if this was a very normal thing to do. He left with the promise of more weekends together and Stiles smiled brightly at that. He decided to do what he did Best: ignore the problem until it goes away.

-.-

Derek hated his birthday because no one really remembered it. How could they when it was Christmas? But this year was different because Stiles showed up right at midnight. 

The sound of the Jeep was hard to miss and his uncle Peter couldn't help but make a joke about it. Unfortunately for him, aunt Isa didn't find it funny.

Derek zoned them out and practically ran outside to meet Stiles half way.

“Hey!” He managed to say. Stiles had his red hoodie and Derek loved how it fit him.

“Happy birthday!” Stiles pushed a small box with a card into him. “I know it is super late and you never told me where you lived, not exactly, I mean you are Cora's brother, therefore you live with her. In the same house. And it is not as if I hacked into my dad’s account in the sheriff’ office to find your address and-” Stiles gasped, eyes opened wide. “Oh, god that sounded even creepier. I swear I don't do that. Well, not for this. Not to stalk you-”

“But to stalk other people?” Derek managed to say, making the teen blush.

Pretty. So so pretty.

“I just…”

“I'm glad you came.” He hurried to state. “I'm always glad to see you.”

It was dark but the light of the porch allowed Derek to see Stiles blush and flail preetilly.

“That is for you.” He left Derek speechless after a quick hug and drove away.

Derek was left on his porch just staring at the dirty Road, a slow smile blooming in his face. He was so in love. He opened his gift immediately, it was a silver triskelion with a black leather rope and that made his chest clench. He had told Stiles just how much of a history nerd and fantasy geek he was and how his family used to use the triskelion as their family sigil. Stiles remembered, Stiles cared.

Fuck.

Stiles was just such a good friend. 

His heart clenched again, now for a different reason. He couldn't help but imagine just how dedicated Stiles would be as a boyfriend.

-.-

Next morning his family congratulated him but no one mentioned the collar around his neck, with knowing smiles. After he exchanged gifts with his family he took Laura’s Camaro to pick Stiles up to go have lunch. Stiles had another present, the third book of a trilogy, and Derek gave him a Han Solo funko pop that had the boy squealing and giggling happily.

They were eating burgers and curly fríes on their booth at Benny’s (same from that first date.

Stiles took a sip of his soda before asking Derek "How does it feel? Being 18?"

"Not that different." Derek shrugged. He catched the way Stiles lips suck on his straw and had to forcé his gaze away.

Dear god it was hard to not let his mind wander to sex fantasies every time he focused on Stiles eating. Eating! Derek was so screwed.

Stiles hurried to give him a list of new things he was now able to do, and things he could be arrested for doing.

“God, I love how your mind works.” Derek looked enthralled. Stiles was fascinating. An endless pool of facts and theories. It was like opening a book in the middle of it instead of the beginning, full of confusion and excitement.

Stiles flushed a lovely red, Derek stared intently how it spread from his cheeks to his neck and was tempted to reach out and tug at the collar of his shirt, just to see how far the lovely color went. But he contained his growing desire for the doe eyes boy and focused on paying the tab.

*.*

Stiles stared Derek retrieving form. He could feel the warmth of his blushing face. He sure looked awful. So much so Derek had to stand and walk away. Oh, god what was happening to him?? But it had been Derek's fault saying things like that. Noone ever said they loved the way his mind worked. On the contrary. He was told to shut up. To stop being weird. An annoying spatz. 

Did he finally push Derek away?

What if now that Derek was two full years older than Stiles, the boy wouldn't want to be his friend anymore. 

Oh, god oh god oh god.

He was pushing himself into panic. But then Derek was there, next to him, looking worried.

“You ok? We should go now if we want to meet with Boyd and Scott in time.

Stiles blinked his tears away. “Um, the check.”

Derek grabbed his hand and pulled him up and away. “Already paid for.”

“Umn… uh. Oh!” Oh, Stiles was such an idiot. Relief flooded through him and he tightened his hand on Derek's.

Of course that's why Derek stood up. To pay for the check.

It took him all the way towards the car to notice they were HOLDING HANDS! And by then Derek was opening the passenger door for him.

Yeah, no. This was no normal behavior. How did Stiles manage to make Derek treat him like this? Because it was obviously his fault. Derek didn't treat anyone that way.

Right?

Right.

He decided to pay more attention.

*.*

It was a difficult game but it was finally over. They won by pure luck. The people around cheered and all Derek wanted was to see Stiles. He found the boy clapping and smiling from the bleaches so he ran towards him, climbed the three rows before him and hugged Stiles with all his strength.

"Can't believe we won." He whispered against Stiles' shoulder.

"Of course you did. They have you after all." Stiles held him just as tight.

Derek knew he had breached the line of friendly hug a long time ago, but he didn't care. He wasn't gonna let go first. To be honest he was surprised Stiles hadn't pushed him off since that day he grabbed his hand.

Since then Derek always found excuses to touch him. Growing needier by the day.

"I swear Jackson if you so much as come one step closer-" the voice of Lydia Martin was surprisingly close. "I'm happy we won but this is cashmere and you are sweating."

Stiles let go, of course. Derek was starting to hate Lydia Martin. Even if it was stupid and petty he couldn't help but brood. "Text me later?" He mumbled and ran down to grab Jackson' arm. "You deserve someone who celebrates your wins and not prioritice their fucking clothes." He said loudly.

God, he was a dick. But then Jackson looked at him with wide eyes and something inside him told him he said the right thing. "You are really good at this Jax. You'll be captain of this team soon."

He never thought of Whitemore as someone who needed to be reaffirm, but the soft flush that tainted his cheeks proved him wrong. Maybe the guy wasn't an asshole just because. Maybe there was something more.

"Thanks, Hale."

*.*

Stiles was blushing, part of it because he was embarrassed about the PDA and the other because he was all hot and bothered by Derek. All of Derek. Derek's body holding him, Derek's breath against the skin of his neck. Derek looked for him, ran towards him. Hugged him. God, Stiles was so fucked. This was so much more than friendship for him.

Then he heard someone talk and realized he had been holding into Derek for too long and had to let go. He knew he made a mistake when the pleased and happy smile Derek had turned into a frown. And he knew he fucked up when he listened to him say "You deserve someone who celebrates your wins and not prioritize their fucking clothes."

Did Derek think Stiles let go of him because of his clothes? OMG why was Stiles such an idiot.

"You know," He yelp at the sudden appearance of Lydia Martin right next to him. "Your boyfriend hates my guts."

Stiles stared at her blinking in confusion. She rolled her eyes and took his arm to step down the bleachers. "I thought that getting a Hale in my social circle would be easy. But Derek and Cora are proving to be hard to get." Stiles could only gap like a fish, still lost for words. "When I entered the debate club the first thing our teacher showed us was a picture of Laura Hale after winning Regionals and said that's what we should thrive to achieve. Cora is remarkable at sport but also has very good notes. Derek is amazing at everything he does and a nerd for History and Languages.”

Stiles nodded, “He does speak Spanish, Portuguese, German and a little of Gaelic.” He also knows Latin and Elvish, the dork, but Stiles didn't want to share that with anyone for some reason. It had been a surprise for Stiles who was good at speaking English and sprinkling some polish here and there.

Lydia said he was expected to go to the celebratory party for the team and then she was gone.

Stiles should be thrilled but all he could think of was Derek and his confusing feelings. He sent a text saying they should go to the party. Derek answered asking if he was picking Stiles up, but Stiles told him they'll meet there. He needed to figure out what was happening with him before seeing Derek again.

-.-

Derek was not enjoying this. Fuck . He came for Stiles but the boy haven't arrived yet. The only two good things happening right now was Boyd dancing with Erica and meeting Kira Yukimura. She was bubbly and chirpy, making conversation with anyone who came close to them so all Derek had to do was nod. She was a really nice addition to their group and she was the one that brought Erica along. So Derek stood next to her making small conversation with the girl while his friend whispered things into the blonde’s ear.

“They are so cute.” Kira commented at one point and Derek couldn´t help agreeing with a longing smile. Would Stiles like to dance with him?

After a while they exchanged phone numbers and decided to have lunch on monday, all of them together. It was obvious Kira had the intention to help the two love birds to spend time together. He was getting too comfortable around her when he let it slip that he was waiting for Stiles. Kira´s eyes lit up, but she didn´t pry. 

The music wasn't bad and he kept glancing around looking for a buzz cut and round amber eyes. He saw Cora across the room at one point, his little sister was rolling her eyes at some boy before meeting his gaze. They have a silent communication that almost makes Derek smile. Almost. 

It wasn't that bad, Derek still preferred to stay home to read or spend time with his loved ones but this was good too.

Then, he finally found Stiles. The boy was talking with Isaac and Scott as if he had been here for a while and the realization made his heart sink.

Kira followed his gaze, noting Stiles and his friends.

“Maybe he didn't see you.” She supplied. But they both knew that wasn´t it.

Maybe he just didn't want Derek to be around. Why else would he reject the ride? Ugh, Derek is such an idiot. He was too obvious. They were supposed to be friends. Fuck. Stiles had been so kind to him, ignoring his unrequited feeling so far. 

“I´m sorry, I´m not feeling good. I should probably go.” He can't stay, if Stiles wanted to have a good time with his real friends, then he should go.

Kira looked at him with eyes full of understanding. “It's ok, I´ll let Boyd and Erica know.”

-.-

Stiles was an idiot for a lot of reasons. First, he should have accepted Derek’s offer to come together. Second, he should have gone to him the moment he entered the place.  Derek looked so out of place at the party, as if he wished to be anywhere but here. People were giving their jock star his own bubble, too scared to approach. Well, everyone but that girl he’ve seen around lately, Kira something. So he stayed away, with Isaac and Scott, stealing glances once in a while. At some point the girl said something that made Derek smile and it pierced something in his chest. Granted it wasn't the smile Stiles could take from him, but it was sincere and Stiles felt jealous, which was so beyond stupid. 

“Dude, Derek had been asking for you since he arrived. Go say hi.” One of the basketball players said.

“Yeah, I will, but a good wingman knows how to give space when his bro is with a cute girl.” He tried to play it light.

“Wow, you are an idiot.” Isaac huffed.

Stiles glared at the curly guy. “I'm not.”

The blonde shrugged. “You are if you think Derek wants her company more than yours.” 

And, we'll, yeah, that's what he thought, but… ok. Stiles took a deep breath and turned but Derek wasn't there anymore. Fuck. He looked around and saw no sign of him. 

After a while he finally approached Boyd. “Hey, have you seen Derek?”

But before he could answer Erica Reyes was in his face. “Why would you care? You've been avoiding him all might.”

His instant reaction was to deny it. “No, I haven’t.” Which was another mistake. The blonde glared at him. “Yes, you have.”

The Kira-something-girl nodded.

“I just… he was having fun with you guys and-”

“Please.” Reyes cut him mid sentence. “Did he look like he was having fun?”

Stiles would say something but the next words hurt too much. “He left after noticing you were avoiding him.” Kira´s voice was sweet.

Wow, Stiles felt like shit. Derek had been so good to him all this time, telling him over and over again how much he liked to spend his time with him. Fuck , the last party he was invited Derek ditched it to go be with him and what did Stiles do? He hurt his friends, one of his best friends. Almost like Scott but not quite like him, different, more.

“There you are.” Lydia Martin appeared from thin air, like the goddess divine she was. Her soft fingers took his face to lower his head and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. “Your reward for making Derek and Cora show up.”

That was not what he aimed for. It wasn´t, but it was too late. The murderous glare that Erica gave him was almost as bad as the disappointing look Boyd gave him. 

“If all you wanted to do was use him, then I hope you leave him alone from now on.”

“Derek doesn't deserve this.”

“Friends. That's what you said.”

Stiles didn't know what to say, so he retreated. The kiss Lydia left on his skin felt like lead.

-.-

Derek spent his Saturday ignoring Boyd’s text and surprisingly, Erica’s and Kira’s. Until he couldn’t anymore. He swore he was fine but didn't feel like getting out of his bed, a heaviness was pushing his body into the mattress. The pain was sharp but bearable, so he slept. 

On Sunday he decided to stop being a depressed idiot and went to hang out with his friends. He explained to them it wasn´t Stiles' fault, he never gave Derek any hopes. It was all Derek being hopelessly in love.  Boyd patted his back, Erica cursed a lot and Kira sighed every now and then with dreamy eyes while he retold the story of his heartbreak. By the end of it they agreed to  try and be kind to Stiles in school.

--

Monday morning Derek entered the school with a protective Cora next to him. His family had been trying to be supportive without outing him. Cora had no idea who broke Derek's heart but she was determined to find out. He should tell her but he couldn't just yet. He followed the motions on autopilot until lunch time. He was a decent student and his grade would not be affected by one bad day -no matter how bad it was.

He was sitting with his friends, not being able to eat without seeing Stiles first. The moment the boy walked towards them Derek realized he didn't care if sometimes it hurts, he wanted Stiles however he could have it. 

The boy spoke quietly, insecure. “Um, Hi. Can I sit with you guys?”

Derek smiled encouragingly, nodding before starting to eat. Scott and Isaac joined them soon after and the table turned loud and light. 

After a while he noticed Stiles was being quiet, Derek looked up just to find the boy staring at him. A lovely blush creeped up his white cheeks and the whole world disappeared from view. He lost himself in a sea of molten gold eyes.

“I'm sorry about the party. I…” Stiles' words were earnest and honest. “I wish we would have spent it like the one before.”

“Me too.” Was out of Derek without missing a beat. And Stiles finally smiled.

-.-

It had been a good week, but Stiles noticed how Derek held back sometimes. He saw it in the twitch of Derek's fingers when he let his hands drop inches away from touching him. How he stepped back instead of pulling Stiles in as he used to. At least his smiles were warm and blinding like always.

God, Stiles did that, he made Derek doubt himself and their friendship. Stiles hurt him and Derek knowingly or not was afraid of it happening again so he built a wall, and it was killing Stiles.

How can I make this right?

Derek was absent during lunch on friday. Boyd, Erica and Kira allow him to take a seat on their tablet. However it was only him and Boyd when Cora sat down." Ok, losers. You two are my brother’ best friends. I need to know who she is."

"What are you talking about?" Stiles asked confuse but Boyd crossed his arms.

"The girl that broke my brother's heart? The one that rejected him last year?"

Boyd didn't even blink, which made Stiles suspect he knew who the hell Cara was talking about.

The mere idea made his heart ache. He shook his head. "You are overestimating how much your brother likes me." 

That made Boyd huff and Cora rolled her eyes. 

"Please Stilinski, my brother would die for you." Stiles blushed. "Now, all I know is that she is a fan of Star wars because we were forced to watch all the movies in a week before the release of the last Jedi or something. My aunt Izzy told me it was so Derek knew about the saga before taking his crush on a date." Stiles sank into his chair. Of course that would be why Derek went to the movies with him. "He took his date to the premier on friday night." 

Stiles frowned at her. “Wait.”

But Cora was on a roll. “The helpless romantic idiot I have for a brother then took her to a fancy dinner and then confessed in the parking lot." But Derek didn't have time to do all that because he was with him. "This girl asked him to be friends and has been suffering in silence since then because the idiot said yes to the being friends part." 

Stiles straighten up. "No, Cora. That isn't right-"

"Of course not!" Cora interrupted again, she was visibly pissed. 

Stiles tried again. "No, I meant he didn't confess. That didn't happened."

“Yes, it did.” She was so sure.

“No, it didn't.”

With a smug smile Cora leaned on the table. “My uncle Peter told me everything step by step and then proceeded to complain about how devastated his favorite nephew was after the whole getting rejected thingy. Then, this weekend something definitely happened because he was heartbroken on Saturday, making lunch absolutely unbearable for the whole family.”

Boyd watched with horror as the truth was unveiled before him.

“But that makes zero sense!” Stiles kept arguing.

Neither of them seemed to hear the other. After a while of this happening Boyd finally spoke.

"Cora, is there anything you are passionate about?" Cora blinked at him, confused but answered. "Ok. Lets say Lydia heard you like that band and tells you she'll go with you this weekend to one of their shows. During the week she hears every song they ever made and that day she pays for the tickets, asks you to dinner once the show ends and at the end of the night she looks straight into your eyes and tells you she likes you. What would you call all of that?" He asked while looking at Stiles.

Cora rolled her eyes again. “A date, duh.”

“Wait, but you are friends. It could be a friend thing.” Stiles flailed over the table, almost smacking Boyd.

The boy chose to ignore him, returning his gaze to Cora. “What would you say to her confession?”

“Thank you but I can't return your feelings)” She seemed to think it better and added: “Probably.”

Stiles stared in shock while Boyd crossed his arms over his chest. “Better than say: I like you too, let's be friends. Right?”

Cora huffed "Of fucking curse. Who would be that kind of an asshole?"

"Who Indeed."

Stiles stood up abruptly, face completely red. "I have to go."

This was not happening, this was not happening. There was no way in hell that he had a date with Derek. And he r ejected him . 

What?

--

Ok, ok , ok. Make this right. How can Stiles make this right? Stiles was good at planning, awesome actually. He had a five year plan to make Lydia fall in love with him. Or at least he used to have one.

Stiles stopped in his tracks, in the middle of the hall, forcing other students to move around him or risk a collision. How had he not realized his thoughts were full of Derek practically since they met? He admired the boy, yes. However, at this point it was so much more than that. Derek made him feel things, made him want to be better. Stiles wanted him not to be ashamed of being friends with him so he even put more effort into his studies. 

Ok, brain. Time to fix things up. A plan. I need a plan. And just like that the simplicity of the answer smacked him in the face and made him smile. The people scattered around gave him weird looks, but he couldn't care less, he was having a moment.

He ran to intercept Derek before practice and his mouth moved without missing a beat. “Hey, missed you at lunch. Wanna go to the movies tonight?” he blurted before he could lose his courage.

Derek's whole face lit up. “Yeah,” he didn't even think about it and Stiles blushed because Derek had always looked at him like that, hasn't he?

But then something happened, the walls that were built because of Stiles' mistakes showed up again, shadowing Derek's features. “Um, will you… be driving the jeep to pick up Scott?”

Trying not to wince, Stiles put all his resolve in his next words. “I was thinking I could pick you up?” the answering smile was blinding. “Sure.”

-.-

The Hale house was in absolute chaos. Derek had come home strangely excited, happy and everyone just reacted accordingly. They were at the kitchen, Cora was brooding because she was on cleaning duty, when his dorky brother asked Felicia for advice for casual clothing that could also be not so casual and Peter joked about him having a date. Derek blushing was unexpected but uncle Peter recovered quickly. “Are you using the camaro?”

Cora stopped mopping the floors to eavesdrop. “No, no my friend is picking me up.” Derek seemed so shy and hopeful.

“Oh, is that your friend ?” Peter mock with air quotes.

Fuck . 

Fuck this girl for not treating his brother right.

“It's just a movie.” Derek shrugged, but it was obvious he was hoping for much more than that. “Probably everyone is going to be there once we get there but… “

“You are going to have your friend just for you on the ride to the movies.” Aunt Isa nodded approvingly. “Well thought.”

His brother was blushing furiously by now, making Cora snort. “It was my friend's idea.”

How could he be so happy with so little? Where was the brother that used to stay up late with her and Laura, talking about love and how they´ll never settle for anything less than what their parents have? He was in desperate need of help.

-.-

After inviting Derek out Stiles couldn't stay still. His mind was a warzone of voices saying this was a mistake, he made a mistake, Derek didn't like him like that. Then other voices were saying he did like Stiles, but Stiles hurt him too much already. They all sounded like him and at the same time as things people had said about him: You talk too much, you move too much, you are too much. How could someone like Derek, or anyone really, could like Stiles?

He drove home, took a shower and spread every item of clothes he owned over his bed. Trying to quiet the voices, trying not to lose his courage.  Two hours later, Scott found him, still struggling to choose what to wear.

“Hey dude, the team missed Derek´s number one cheerleader today.” He joked, the lack of a comeback from Stiles made him worry. “Wanna play COD tonight? Isaac is coming to stay home.”

This was it, Stiles needed to say this outloud, to accept it was real. “Sorry dude, I have to  pick Derek up for the movies and then dinner.”

Scott frowned “Why are you taking Derek out on a date?”

And really, it's all on Stiles if even Scott counts that as a date. “Because I like him.”

“Yeah, I like him too. But don't you think he´ll get mixed signals again? I mean, how many times can a guy endure rejection?”

He turned sharply towards his best friend, his brother from another mother who apparently knew more about Stiles and Derek's first date, than him. “Wait, you knew?”

Scott still looked confused as hell. “Knew what?”

His arms flailed around while he spoke, feeling flustered. “That Derek took me on a date and confessed?”

“Dude, you told me that!” They stared at each other for a long while, processing. 

He flopped onto the bed cover in clothes and hid his face into his hands. Stiles was the biggest idiot in the whole wide world, and he told Scott that much. He also confessed his confusion and frustration until Stiles finally understood his own feelings. The afternoon sun creeped into the room through the bedroom window while both friends talked about discovering new feelings, hopes and fears. After a tight bro hug, Scott helped him pick his clothes, a fitting red shirt and black skinny jeans and wished him good luck.

Before leaving the house though, Stiles had one last person to talk to. It was easy to find his dad. Lately, the Sheriff of Beacon Hills had made it a habit of spending his free afternoons baking in the kitchen while listening to the radio. 

Stiles stood against the door frame, looking at his dad and shifted nervously for a moment before speaking. “So I'm taking Derek Hale on a date.”

The man smiled towards him after checking the oven. “Ok, good. Just um… just take care and be safe.”

Stiles could feel the blush on his cheeks. “God, dad. It's our first date.” At that, his dad seemed honest to God, surprised. “Wait, dad. You knew I liked him?”

His old man just shrugged. “Kind of suspected that when I came home to find you two cuddling on the living room floor.”

Oh, right, that happened. “And you don't mind?”

His dad turned the oven off and reached for him. “All I want is for you to be happy son. That's all we… Me and your mom ever wanted.” They hugged for a long while while Stiles tried to recover. This day had been full of confessions and overly emotional conversations and he still had to make it to his date with Derek.

Wow, he had a date with Derek Hale.

Stiles broke the hug to smile at his dad. “I'll be on my way now. Love you dad.”

“Take care son. Love you too” The older 

-.-

When Derek went to take a shower and prepare with Felicia’s help Cora hurried to finish her taks with a set mind. The little Hales were playing in the backyard under the watchful eye of Uncle Jeremy, so she stomped her way towards the sun room where the rest of the adults of her family  were talking about boring adult things.

She cleared her throat and pointed out the elephant in the room “We have to say something.”

The rest of the family just stared at her, all thick eyebrows rising up in question. Except Uncle Peter who cooed at her mockingly. Understanding this was about Derek, her dad offered a hug, but her mom was the one to answer. “Cora, dear. We can't intervene.”

“Why not?” she moved away from his dad's arms stubbornly. “This girl is hurting him.”

Granma Ina slapped Peter´s leg when he laughed. “Ojo con lo que vas a decir.”

Her mom tried to reason again ignoring the side comments. “Because this is Derek's decision. All we can do is give him advice and be there for him. That 's all.”

There was something sad in her expression that made Cora bit her words. Derek was the first of them to show romantic interest in anyone. And the whole family was trying to be as supportive as possible. 

The rumble of the Jeep could be heard a mile away and Cora hurried to greet Stiles at the door. “Finally some back up!” She pulled the boy towards the couch and started peacing. “Ok, so I'm guessing you're here for moral support or something. We need to have an intervention. Whoever this girl is, she doesn't deserve Derek. My brother is a hopeless romantic that thinks all can be fixed with love. But this needs to be a fifty-fifty effort. If this girl doesn't love him back, then-”

“Um, Cora? What are you talking about?” The stress in Stiles' voice was palpable enough to draw her eyes towards him. The boy was sitting awkwardly on the couch surprisingly well dressed, no flannel or ridiculous quotes on his shirt, his hair was a bit longer than the normal buzz cut he used to sport and he looked kinda hot.

“Hey, Stiles.” Derek called from the stairs and Cora had a first row seat to the shift that took over Stiles' face. The boy stood up with warm twinkling eyes. The smile that bloomed on his face was sweet and bright. A small puff of air left him in a rush as if someone punched his stomach at the sight of her brother. As if that wasn´t enough his cheeks started to blush when their eyes met.

What. The. Hell.

“You are early.” Derek sounded almost breathless, a mirror image of the boy now standing in front of him and Cora was shocked by the realization. “Hi. Yeah, sorry. Hi.”

They smiled at each other like the pair of idiots they were. Although the biggest idiot in the room seemed to be her. She assumed . She assumed it was a girl. That actually explained why Peter laughed at her so much. 

The moment the boys stepped out of the house her whole family appeared to spy through the windows. “Oh, they grow up so fast.” Grandma Ina said with a shaky voice.

“The boy is actually kinda cute.”

“Shut up, Peter.” 

The adults kept joking around about young love and stuff that Cora didn't care about. She was still thinking about the new revelation. She had to call Laura and tell her everything, but for now she just stared at his older brother trying to hide his shy smile while jumping on the jeep, and Stiles nervously threading his fingers through his hair on the driver's seat. They seemed to be in their own little world, their own bubble.

Cora couldn´t stop herself from smiling, maybe Derek did find something there, something that could grow into the love they used to gush about when they were little, the love Laura and her still dreamt about, the one they´ve seen around them everyday, since birth. 

-.-

Derek was thrilled being part of Stiles´s bubble. There were just the two of them the whole ride to the movies. At first Stiles asked him about his friendship with Kira and Erica and Derek had the sinking feeling there was something more there, but after a while Stiles relaxed into their usual banter. 

When they arrived Derek had the crazy urge to take Stiles' hand, but he bumped their shoulders instead getting a cheeky smirk in return. They were joking around when he saw Erica, Boyd and Kira holding bags of popcorn and sodas. “Guess everyone is here already.” 

He shouldn't sound so sad about it. Boyd was his best and the girls had won his trust in a short amount of time by being honest and real. However, before they could come closer Stiles was pushing him against a side hall, using his body to press Derek firmly against the wall. The sudden heat rising inside him startled Derek. Stiles' face was inches away from him, eyes big, cheeks flush and plush lips always parted. “I didn´t… I… It was supposed to be just you and me tonight.”

The revelation only served to fuel the heat, spreading like wildfire. Derek was two seconds away from kissing the life out of Stiles, he needed to touch, to feel his skin. God, did Stiles have any idea of what he did to him?

Forcing himself to restrain his urges, he took the boy's hand firmly before dragging him around to buy the tickets, hiding behind other people, trying to not be seen by their friends. Derek was so gone on this boy it was ridiculous.

-.-

When Stiles picked up Derek Cora had mentioned a girl again and doubt crept in like a big, dark monster. He tried unsuccessfully to be subtle when he asked about Kira and Erica. But Derek just answered about his new friends with ease. Stiles could see how much he liked them but there wasn't any trace of other interest towards them, making Stiles relax again.

At the movies, he was shocked to see Boyd and the girls there. For a moment the dark thoughts came back full force, screaming: see? he doesn't want to be on a date with you, or alone with you. He invited his friends to save him from you and your suffocating affection.

However the disappointing look on Derek when he found his friends was so obvious it encouraged Stiles to be bold. He confessed to wanting Derek for himself and the smile that the perfect boy gave Stiles in return was bright enough to cast away any dark thoughts but it was the hand, firmly grasping his, that purged the monsters lurking in the corners of his mind. Derek wanted to be here with him. Just the both of them, together.  

They had so much fun sneaking around that he can't really remember the movie. They spent most of the time giggling whenever they caught the other staring. Stiles dared to take Derek's hand at one point and the moment their skin met was electric and beautiful.

After the movies, they went to have dinner talking about everything and nothing. Stiles felt thrilled when he covered the check. This was a date, he invited Derek and was now paying because they were on a date. By the end of it all the two boys stood next to the jeep, in the exact same spot the last time, but the atmosphere was completely different.

-.-

Derek was trying not to get his hopes up but how could he not? Having Stiles for the night, being part of his bubble not sharing him with anyone else? Having all the intensity of Stiles on him? It was exhilarating.

At the end of their night they ended up standing in the parking lot, and he was terrified Stiles was gonna call him a friend again to the point he couldn't even make eye contact with him. 

“Derek, what's wrong?” Stiles' voice was full of concern.

He tried not to flinch. “Nothing, I just… I had a really nice time.”

Stiles took a step closer in front of him. “Yeah. I always have a nice time when I'm with you. And when I talk to you or even… when I think about you.”

Stiles took his hand and Derek couldn't take it anymore. “Stiles, friends don't hold hands.” He looked into the boy's doe eyes earnestly, searching for a reaction but Stiles just stared back, unflinching. “Friends don't think about their friends the way I think about you.” 

Stiles' blush coloured his cheeks again and he looks so fucking beautiful. “Derek, I like you, so, so much.”

Derek's ears started ringing, his heart trying to beat out of his chest. “As a friend. You said that before.”

The hand gripping his tighten, Stiles eyes almost shining, his lips pursed into a determined pout. “Oh, god, no. I'm so sorry. Derek I wanted to make things right. That's why… I asked you out on this date.” Date. It had been a date. “It took me a while to realize the difference between like and admiration and… “ He gulped, “love.”

The word punched the air out of his lungs, he wanted to hear more about Stiles' feelings and his revelations but he couldn't wait anymore. He closed the space between them and pressed his lips against Stiles' soft one. 

They were still holding hands, so he used his free one to place it on Stiles' nape. He felt Stiles' tentative fingers against his hip and it was perfect. The most perfect first kiss he could have dreamt of.

They parted shortly after, because Derek needed to use his words before he forgot how they function. “I like you too Stiles. Very, very much.” The boy blushed even more but he smiled big. “Would you like to be my boyfriend?”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

They kissed again and again and again until they were both panting. Half hidden between the cars of the parking lot Stiles confessed to Derek how he mistook their first date for a friend's outing. How he never intended to hurt him or reject him, because it didn't make sense for Derek to like him. Period. Derek kissed him stupid afterwards, trying to make up for lost time.

“Stiles you are loud and bright. I love how you can argue about politics with the same passion you argue about comics. Your mind is a sea of treasure that I intend to learn how to navigate. Your eyes are mesmerizing, your mouth…” Derek lost his train of thought once he fixed his gaze on those pink, lush lips. “I found myself attracted to you since the first time we spoke.” Stiles was looking at him as if Derek was speaking another language. “I like you. And I'm going to repeat it until you accept it.”

Stiles threw himself at him with such a force, Derek ended up with his back against the Jeep. The kissing was different, more heated this time. Stiles was gripping his neck and hair while Derek's hands room all over Stiles´ body, his legs parted to make room for the boy. 

God, it felt amazing to be lost in the safety and heat of Stiles arms. But then he remembered where they were and slowed down the kiss. Stiles moaned in his mouth, probably realizing the same thing Derek did and that noise almost broke his brain. They stayed there, foreheads touching while getting their breathing under control.

Eventually Stiles drove Derek home with the radio playing some pop song in the background of their smiles as they talked about plans for the weekend, together, as boyfriends.

-.-

Stiles visited the Hale house the next day. His hands shook a little with nerves so he squeezed Derek's hand tightly. He was introduced as Derek's boyfriend to Talia and Andrew Hale. Grandma Ina patted his cheeks and deemed him cute in spanish. Peter and Felicia were sharp and snarky, but it was a nice balance to Isabela and Jeremy’s sweetness. Stiles could do snark and wit, he had trouble though with earnestly honest people that said what they thought with tender tones.

Then there were the cousins: Cedric, Malia, Alex, Sam. Stiles was glad he already knew Cora and that Laura was still in college. He felt overwhelmed by so many names and clashing personalities. But everytime Derek smiled at him something eased in his chest and it was all worth it.

-.-

It felt like a dream. Stiles' bubble had expanded to swallow Derek into it. It was a safe, warm yet intense place. They talked about taking it slow, both of them enjoying a cup of warm cocoa looking into the backyard where his little cousins play. They wanted to savor every facet of dating. More dinners and movies, flowers -like the ones Stiles brought for him and his mom- gifts, and over all courting.

Derek knew they were young. He was 18 and Stiles was gonna be 17 in a few months. But still, something in his chest told him this is it. This boy right here will become the man of your life . And he wanted to make things right by Stiles.

-.-

His dad was enjoying making Derek nervous. Sunday mornings were Stilinski’s family time with a huge breakfast and the radio broadcasting a baseball game. He was worried this would be a too quiet scene for someone with such a big and loud family, but having Derek there, in their small kitchen felt right .

When his dad had his fill, they both told him their plans of going slow. Besides, Stiles needed to do research before anything else could happen. So. Much. Research. 

Kissing thought, that was something they both liked to do. A lot.

Monday morning Stiles entered the school holding Derek's hand proudly and nothing really changed. He went to class, had lunch with his friends and boyfriend. Went to cheer him on during his last training sessions, Even if Jackson was now the new captain of the team.

Overall life was good. And Stiles was happy.

-.-

Derek had it all, he was starting college next fall, had a loving and supporting family and more importantly he had Stiles. 

He looked at the bouquet of daisies still alive in a makeshift vase over his desk. The warmth spread in his chest remembering Stiles' face when he presented it at Derek. He heard the sound of the Jeep coming closer and hurried out of his bedroom. He couldn't wait to explore love and sex with the most gorgeous, stupidly bright, obnoxiously loud and perfect boy he had ever met. His boyfriend .